Tool for rubbing down vehicle-bodies



(No Model.)

W. M. DAVIS. TOOL FOR RUB'BING DOWN lVEHICLE BODIES, &c.

No. 470,991. Patented Mar. 15,`1892.

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Nrrn 'STATES fA'rnNr lVlLLIAM M. DAVIS, OF RACINE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDVIN G. DAVIS, OF MILWAUKEE, VISCONSIN.

TOOL FOR RUBBING DOWN VEHICLE-BODIES, 860.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,991, dated March 15, 1892.

Application filed August 4, 1891. Serial No. 401.690. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ivi. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Racine, in the county of Racine, and in the State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tools for Rubbing Down Vehicle-Bodies and Analogous Surfaces; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to an improved device for use in rubbing down or polishing varnished surfaces, such as the bodies or panels of carriages and Wagons and it consists in the matters hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a sectional view of a device embodying my invention. Fig.' 2 is a side elevation of the polishing-drum with parts broken away. Figs. 3 and 4 are views of a diderent form of my improved polishingdrum.

In said drawings, A indicates a frame of any suitable or desired construction provided with a bearing a, through which a shaft B is passed. Upon this shaft B is mounted a drum C, preferably provided with a cent-ral hub c and spider-arms c c', said hub being revolubly supported upon the said shaft B. A bevel-gear D is provided upon the outer end of the hub c, said gear being either formed integral therewithor secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by screws or bolts, as in Fig. 1 of the drawings. A covering of felt or analogous material is provided upon the outside of the druln C, as shown at C in Figs. 1 and l2, said covering being secured to the outer surface of the drum in any desired manner-as, for instance, by means of the devices illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the details of which will presently be described.

The frame A is provided with a bearing a', located at right angles to the bearing a, within which a shaft E is journaled, said shaft being arranged to have a slight amount of longitudinal movement Within said bearing. A bevel-gear E is located upon the inner end of the shaft E and is arranged to be moved into and out of engagement with the gear D by the longitudinal movement of the shaft E. A spring e is located upon the outer portion of the shaft E, and is arranged to bear against the outer surface of the frame A adjacent to the bearing d and against a collar or flange e on the shaft E to normally hold said shaft outwardly, so as to hold the gear E out of engagement with the gear D. A handle F is provided upon the outer end of the shaft E, and a lever G is pivoted to the frame A adjacent to the bearing a', as at g, and arranged to lie alongside of the handle F, so as to be readily grasped by the hand of the operator together with the handle F. A projection or shoulder g is provided on the inner surface of the 1 lever G adjacent to the handle F, and is arranged to engage with an annular flange o r collar f on the said handle,'so as to force the shaft E inwardly and move the gear E into engagement with the gearD When said lever is pressed inwardly toward the handle. A spring g2 serves to throw said lever outwardly, so as to move the shoulder g out of engagement with said flange f when the lever is released.

Rotary motion is communicated to the shaft Ein any suitable manner, as by means of a flexible shaft I, and the gear E is rapidly revolved thereby. It is obvious that when the gears E and D are in mesh this rotary motion will be communicated to said gear D, so as to revolve the drum C very rapidly, and

that when said gears are not in engagement with each other said gear D will remain motionless, While the gear E revolves freely.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the felt covering C is secured to the outside of the drum D by means of hooks or lingers h h, which project from rods H H, rotatively secured in the periphery of the drum O, which hooks or fingers are arranged to penetrate the felt covering, as shown in said figures, so that a rotative movement of said rods will draw the covering tightly about the drum C. As shown more particularly in Fig. 2 of the drawings, these hooks or fingers are arranged so as to strain the covering in opposite directions, two

or more of said hooks being arranged to draw said covering in each direction, so as to uniformly stretch said cover around the drum. In order to facilitate the stretching of the felt IOO covering C in the manner just described, I provide ratchet-wheels II H upon the ends of the rods Il II and pawls or detents 71, h upon the ends of the drum C adjacent to said ratchets and adapted to engage therewith, so as to prevent a backward rotation of said rods and a consequent loosening of the felt covering.

Springs h2 h2 are provided to hold the pawls h h in operative position, and after said covering has been tightened the edges thereof are secured together, as at G2.

In the form of polishing-drum illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 the drum is composed of a series of disks of felt .I J, suitably secured together by means of bolts passed through said disks and arranged to compress said disks between suitable metallic disks J J. A central aperture J2 is provided in said series of disks, through which the shaft B is passed.

In practice myimproved device is employed in polishing the varnished surfaces as follows: After a coat of varnish has been applied and permitted to dry the operator grasps the polishing device by the handle a at the side thereof, and the handle F at the same time compresses the lever G against the said handle F, as before described, so as to force the wheel E into engagement with the Wheel D. This causes the wheel D and the drum C to revolve rapidly, as before described. The operator now presses the rapidly-revolving drum against the surface to be polished, and by moving said drum over said surface and at the same time applying a slight amount of pressure thereto is enabled to very quickly and easily impart a uniform polish to the surface to be finished. As many coats of varnish as may be desired may be successively applied and polished in the manner before described.

It will be seen that by the employment of my improved polishing device the work of finishing or polishing the surfaces is very much simplified and that the amount of labor necessary for the production of a very high polish is very much lessened, while a very uniform finish is given to the surface.

I would have it understood that I do not desire to limit myself to the exact form of to be done with the device, and for large surfaces the drum may be made as long in proportion to its diameter as desired to enablea large amount of surface to be operated upon at one time.

It will of course be understood that this device may be used with any suitable abrading snbstance--such as water and powdered pumice-stone or other similar substancein the manner well known in the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An improved device for rubbing down or polishing varnished surfaces, comprising a suitable frame, a revoluble drum supported therein, a flexible shaft, an operative connection between said shaft and said revoluble drum, and means for throwing said drum out of operation, substantially as described.

2. An improved device for rubbing down or polishing varnished surfaces, comprising a suitable frame, two shafts journaled in said frame at substantially right angles to each other, a drum revolubly supported upon one of said shafts and provided with a polishingsurface of yielding material, a bevel-gear on said drum, a iiexible shaft operatively connected with the other of said shafts, a bevelgear upon said latter shaft, and suitable means for moving said latter gear into or out of engagement with the gear upon the said drum, substantially as described.

3. An improved-device for rubbing down or polishing varnished surfaces, comprising a suitable frame, two shafts supported within bearings in said frame at substantially right angles to each other, a drum revolubly supported upon one of said shafts and provided with a polishing-surface of yielding material, a bevel-gear upon said drum, a flexible shaft operatively connected with the other one of said shafts, a second bevel-gear upon said latter shaft, a spring for normally holding said latter gear away from the gear upon the drum, and a lever for forcing said gear into mesh with said gear upon said dru1n,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM M. DAVIS.

Titnessesz JNO. W. KNIGHT, ERAsrUs C. PECK. 

